Dear Lifehacker,
My workspace isn't the most spacious or open. In fact, it's downright small and clutter-prone. Do you have any tips for making the most of what little desk space I have—on the cheap, of course?

Signed,
Space Saver

Dear Space Saver,

Most of us know what you feel like. No matter how much desk space you have, it probably feels like it's not enough. We have seen, however, lots of well-organized workspaces that make great use of even the tiniest of spaces. Here are some real-life examples and tips for maximizing the space you have.

Think of Your Desk as a Cockpit

Getting Things Done guru David Allen says in his Organizing Your Workspace (PDF) guidelines to think of your workspace like a cockpit:

The workspace should function like a cockpit—all the controls easily accessible as required, allowing for maximum focus on the work at hand, quick over-viewing of work to be done, and easy ad hoc processing of all forms of input (from email, paper mail, phone, and live conversation).

Group your things nearest to you into two groups: 1) permanent stuff that you use regularly such as supplies, your computer, and reference materials and 2) transit/incomplete stuff, like your inbox.

Here's how Allen organizes his desk:

The key is to keep only those things you use daily in arm's reach. Things you use weekly can be kept off of the desktop but within reach (e.g., in a desk drawer), and everything else you can store in walking distance.

An office full of equipment and supplies would seem to be the natural order of things, but…
Read more Read more

Hide What You Can

If you have a small desk, we can take an even more minimalist approach—hiding things in plain sight to reduce visual clutter:

Move your inbox: Instead of the traditional tray or file folders on your desk for your inbox or action items, if you have a small desk you could instead use a folder in your filing cabinet. Or you can mount those folders to the side of your desk to clear clutter.

Hide things behind your monitor or under your desk: The back of your monitor is a wonderful spot for hidden storage for even your most used and necessary items. You can attach pens, index cards, external hard drives, and more there. A keyboard tray mounted under your desk or a pegboard for cables and peripherals can also clean up your workspace.

Tame your cables: Cable clutter looks bad even when you have a giant workspace, so it looks even worse in a tiny one. Over the years we've noted a ton of cable management solutions, from the insanely useful binder clips to socks to rain gutters and to eyehooks, so you can take your pick and keep those cables from crowding your workspace.